Baelri and Amelia
by Nornagon
Summary: The story of two young norns caught on opposing sides of a post-apocolyptic disaster in a somewhat unconventional Albia.
1. Home

**DISCLAIMER THING **

I do not own Creatures, however, as far as I'm aware, Norns, Grendels and Ettins are in the public domain.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. To view a copy of this license, visit or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

That means that you're free to redistribute and display this work, under the following conditions:

You must attribute it to me (say who wrote it)

You may not use it for commercial purposes

You may not alter, transform or build upon it

You must include a copy of this license, or make clear to others the terms of this license in some way.

Note to nit-picking fans: I have scaled up pretty much everything. Norns, I know, were meant to be a few inches high. I have portrayed them here as being maybe four or five feet tall. Norns, I know, live only five or six hours. I have scaled that up to a human lifespan, with the assumption being that they would use similar divisions of time within their society. Also, I know norns do not form permanent couples. I have employed something known as "Artistic licence". (Or 'license', depending on which country you're from.)

WARNING: This fanfic may contain adult content, so please don't read it unless you have a mental age of at least 15!

**PART 1: Apocalypse **

_Chapter One: Home_

Martha set down her cup. "I still don't see why you need to take them. They're only seven years old!" Her hackles stood up. She did not want her children taken from her, no matter how competent a caretaker they had. Zimkash opened his mouth to say something, but Martha cut him off. "And anyway, Amelia's sick. So if you manage to convince me to let them go, you won't be able to leave for at least four days."

Zimkash shook his head, his long golden fur rustling faintly. "I'm sorry. I don't want to take them either. I'd trust you far more than myself with them. But Daelam said they had to be there. I'm pretty sure both Amelia and Sheiro are both dying to go, too."

"I don't care what they think. It's a dangerous journey."

"It'll be fine! We'll be travelling with the caravan. Plus, there hasn't been a Grendel sighting in years!"

"I know, I know. I know I'm probably just being overprotective, but still..."

"How about we adjourn 'till tomorrow." He winked at Martha, and stood up. He curved his back, which cracked satisfyingly, and walked towards Martha. His hand wandered to her hair, and down the side of her face. Her short, lilac fur was interspersed with the occasional white speckle. Zimkash stroked her nose, and she closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards. He scratched her ear, and knelt down beside her. "Come on," he said in a low voice. He caught her mouth in his, and his arms pulled her body closer to his. He broke the kiss and stood up, her with him.

Zimkash's gaze bounced idly around the room. There were the cushions they had been sitting on, red silk, edged with gold tassels. Surrounded by these was an oaken table, deep brown, varnished, with ornate legs. There were sheets of paper and old books scattered across it, candles half-used and flickering in wooden holders, carved in a double helix, covered in wax. A jar of ink was open, and a quill lying next to it, a page half-written in scrawly symbols. Martha stared at the slowly dying fire, casting an unsteady orange glow over the room.

Zimkash pulled Martha closer, and kissed her forehead. She was a head shorter than he. He pulled her into a fierce hug, and she returned it, head resting on his chest. They withdrew, the fire reflected in Zimkash's huge brown eyes. He opened his mouth, and Martha put a finger on his lips. She touched her mouth to his, and closed her eyes. She wouldn't lose him, or her children. She knew it in her heart.


	2. Exploration

_Chapter Two: Exploration_

Baelri peered through the trees. He could see the faintly glowing embers of the fire they'd lit. Good. All was well. He stood up, and casually swivelled an ear towards the rag-tag group. He strode up the thin trail they'd weathered through the brush over the years.

A few logs lay somewhat half-heartedly around the stone-encircled fire, providing a place for the norns to sit. This was supposedly a secret place, though it wasn't exactly secret. But it was most certainly their territory. He whistled, and the group looked towards him. He raised a hand in greeting, and grinned through the rapidly falling dusk. The flicker of the fire was reflected in his sea-green eyes, and his slick black fur shone in the half-light. Luetha stood, and turned towards Baelri. He pricked up a golden ear, and swivelled it experimentally. "Hey. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. You all ready to go?"

Five of the six norns produced backpacks; Rídé and Tiaabra were sharing one.

"Good. That should be enough to last us the night. Shall we go then?"

The norns stood up. Baelri's gaze wandered over them as they made ready for the hike. Luetha was tall and thin. He had a shabby golden coat, with silver streaks. His hair was a mess of blonde strewn recklessly about his head, and gave the impression that it was trying to kidnap his ears. His eyes were a brilliant electric blue.

Theri and Gil were identical twin brothers. Their family had immigrated from the Eastern Ocean. Their eyes were faintly oriental, being angled slightly upwards, and of a deep brown. Their fur was black with brown patches, and both had identical white splotches on their noses.

Calryl stood next to Theri, pack on her shoulder, hands on her hips. Her fur was short, deep green with golden speckles. Her hair was golden, and it sparkled almost as much as her equally golden eyes did.

Rídé and Tiaabra were the oldest in the group, though not the founders. There had been talk of arrangements for their marriage, but Rídé and Tiaabra didn't need that kind of superficial agreement. They had been born to be together.

Tiaabra's fur was a cascade of pinks, from hot pink to almost magenta. Her hair was long, just past her shoulders, and matched her fur. Rídé's fur was a uniform shade of dulled green, speckled with orange. He stood behind Tiaabra, arms around her waist, head on her shoulder. He stared off into the trees, his big blue eyes vacant.

The night had settled in. Baelri led the norns up a rocky path, strewn with leaves and tiny red berries. They were no good for eating; Baelri knew from experience. That was one week he wished had never happened. Lining the path were huge poplar trees, the white undersides of their leaves visible still in the darkness.

He set a steady pace. He wanted to get to the cave in time for them to light a fire and have a bit of food. He looked forward along the path, then up the mountain. He estimated there'd only be another half-hour of walking; he'd made it in twenty minutes during the day.

The other norns chattered excitedly. They'd spent months planning this; with Baelri having done the scouting, the rest of the norns nagging their parents to let them go. They were finally getting away. It was almost like a coming-of-age ceremony; their parents were finally letting them do what they wanted, letting them get away for a few weeks together. Rídé smiled elusively at Tiaabra.


End file.
